Inferno
by Abandon Structure
Summary: Reid keeps seeing the death of the Covenant and it's driving him crazy until he meets Morgan, a girl who shares his visions for reasons they're only just beginning to realize.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This was the horrible new fic I started way back when instead of working on all the other stories I have yet to finish. It's pure Covenant with a few extra twists, the biggest of which probably occurs in, like, three paragraphs.

_**Fire.**_

_Reds, oranges, yellows, and the faintest chasing of blue leaping from ground into heat and burning, crawling up skin – eating away at flesh and blood and bone even as the world raged, the inferno burning. _

_A crescendo of sound, the roar of the blaze rising, and rising, pushing like a tsunami, unstoppable – absolute destruction. Screaming, clawing, battling against walls, pressing and roaring frustration until there was a loud crack and suddenly the heat was everywhere, all consuming and never ending and burning the world, _**burning them…**

* * *

><p><em>God<em>, it was awful. Like the yowling cry of a dying animal, Reid Garwin's hoarse screams echoed through his ancestral home, waking all occupants in the dead of the night.

"Fuck," Chase swore, racing from his room, stumbling hard into the wall but never loosing momentum as he bolted down the hall to Reid's room.

Sound greeted him before anything else – the harsh grunts and half-begging orders as Tyler struggled against his best friends flailing limbs.

"Reid!" Caleb's gritty order ended on a grunt, the tell-tale sound of flesh on flesh punctuating the exclamation.

"Damnit, Reid, wake the fuck up," Tyler snarled. Chase entered the room – a virtual battlefield – his heart beat racing when he realized Reid was still caught in the grip of the nightmare.

"Shit," he muttered, taking in the scene. Tyler was struggling against the straining violence of Reid's upper body, practically screaming in the older boys face as he tried to wake him up and Pogue and Caleb pressed the entirety of their weight on his lower body. Caleb had a red patch on his ribs, a sure sign of a major bruise to come.

"Tyler! Move!" Chase snapped, moving forward to grab Reid's arms, grunting under the strain as Reid's upper body shuddered, another terrifying and terrified scream.

"Shit, Tyler, wake him up already!" Pogue grunted.

"I'm trying," Tyler snapped back, sliding one leg over Reid's torso, reaching under Chase's arms to grab Reid's face and _focus._

* * *

><p><em>Screeching, metal and man, protesting in voice and rising volume as the violence grew.<em>

_Red flashed, a flowing river of blood. A hand appeared, reaching weakly towards them, fingers trembling and palm collapsing downward as the flames licked forward, tasting before consuming._

_Agony punched a hole in his – _their – _chest and he screamed again as the fire rose, racing past the hand, flesh already peeling, the fire already searching out its next target._

* * *

><p>"God fucking damnit," Tyler swore, sweat dripping down his naked back, his breath coming in shallow pants and pain ripped through his skull.<p>

"What is it, Tyler? What did you see?" Chase grunted as Reid's body convulsed once more.

"Fire," Tyler grunted, expression tightening as he tried to push his way back into Reid's mind. "Everywhere, eating him alive, skin and bones."

"Shit," Pogue breathed for all of them.

* * *

><p><em>He felt it on his skin, a burning caress more painful and powerful than anything he'd ever felt before. He struggled away from it but his body was already weak and his desire for survival gone.<em>

_Everything was gone._

_Nothing was left for him, nothing left to fight or live for. He was the last, the only – alone. He didn't want to be alone._

_Surrender never felt sweeter than that moment, his breath escaping on a sigh as he surrendered to the fire, consciousness slipping in bits and pieces until something moved in his peripheral._

_He turned his bleary gaze, blinking at what he found, his heart giving a fragile, shuddering beat of hope in his chest._

"_Tyler…"_

_Tyler glared at him from the edge of the flames._

"_Wake up, Reid," he ordered, voice tight, eyes flickering like the flames as he stared directly at him. "You're dreaming – you need to wake the fuck up."_

* * *

><p>Reid's eyes snapped open less than a heartbeat later, the discomforting heat replaced by weight and an unwelcome press of bodies that had him shuddering once more.<p>

"Get off of me," he murmured weakly but with enough spine for the order to be followed.

"Asshole," Pogue muttered, straightening to his feet and shooting Reid a darkly worried look before walking around to help Caleb upright, the older boy's side already turning an ugly matted purple.

"Love you too," Reid replied with a humorless smile, eyes closing for a moment before opening just as quickly, the fire already threatening to rise once more.

"What happened?" Chase asked, one arm touching Caleb's shoulder, making sure he was alright, before his attention focused on Reid. "I thought you said you had a handle on it."

"I do, I did," Reid hastily amended, running a hand through sweat-soaked hair, wincing as he pushed himself upright, his muscles protesting even that small movement.

"They were never this strong before," Tyler was sitting next to him on the bed, one hand rubbing the side of his head as he spoke. Reid felt a momentary pang of guilt, knowing he was the cause of the headache, and immediately stifled it when Tyler winced, shoving his emotions behind the carefully constructed walls all of them had mastered years ago.

"Quit it," Tyler ordered him, his tone harsh with displeasure as he glared over at Reid.

"What?" Reid asked, feeling the chill of the air as his body started to cool down in the wake of the dream.

"Hiding," Tyler replied, turning to face him, hand dropping as his anger flashed in his eyes. "You've been having this dream for three months now. We know bits and pieces but you've been holding back, haven't you?"

Reid kept his silence, resolutely looking away – answer enough.

"Goddamnit, Reid," Caleb swore, annoyance and worry in his tone. "How can we do anything about the dream if you don't give us all the information?"

"It's my decision," Reid snapped back, reminding them all of his place in the Covenant. They all had their unique gifts to contend with and they all had the right to the privacy of those gifts.

"Bullshit," Chase bit out before Caleb could. "That's not you dying, is it?"

Reid went silent again.

"Who?" Chase demanded. Reid said nothing as the eldest of their Covenant stared at him, expression deadly calm, deadly focused. That was Chase – determined to the end to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.

"Who?" He demanded a second time, turning his focus instead to Tyler whose gaze Reid could feel burning a hole in the side of his head.

He didn't have to be an empath to feel the younger boys fear and sudden determination. He was going to tell.

Reid's head jerked up, his mouth opening in protest as he met Tyler's crystal clear gaze, his jaw slowly closing at the fear, determination, and pure worry he saw there.

"Us," Tyler replied, swallowing tightly as he looked up at Chase. "You and Pogue are dead on the ground, Caleb's pinned to the wall, and I'm…"

"Burning," Reid finished, eyes closed as the scene replayed itself in his mind, his breath hitching as his heart gave a painful thump in his chest. "You're burning and I'm last. They always save me for last."

"Whose they?" Chase asked, but Tyler spoke before

"You don't see the girl?" Tyler interrupted, frowning as Reid jerked his head up to stare at him.

"What girl?"

* * *

><p><em>It's only a dream, <em>Morgan reminded herself, ten months of therapy floating through her head as her feet traveled down the darkened hallway.

Saint Jude's was never this quiet or empty in real life. It catered to the rich and retired which meant there were always people moving around, supervising one thing or another. If the silence hadn't given the dream away, the darkness would have.

It moved like some sort of fog, following her – pushing her forward to avoid being caught in its grasp.

Her feet were bare and the tiles cool under them as she moved soundlessly down the hall towards another bank of darkness, heart racing as she tried not to think of what was inside that cloud.

"Please let me go," she whispered into the silence, praying to whatever entity was controlling her mind for mercy.

The clouds moved in response and suddenly her feet were gone, the hall was gone, and she was falling, screaming as reality dipped and disappeared around her. She fought against the invisible force holding her, blinding her from seeing where she was and who they were, and had the brief thought _'This is how I die…'_ before solid ground reappeared.

She collapsed to the ground, legs curling underneath her as she choked on a sob, shivering and shaking and wanting nothing more than to just curl up in a ball and will herself somewhere, anywhere else.

She was picked up and set on her feet before she could whimper again, hands gripping her head and turning her chin towards the door.

It was made of old wood – practically gray with age and decay. It smelled musty with just the barest hint of something underneath, wild and untamed. The hands shoved her forward a few steps, message clear – open the door.

She didn't want to – she'd seen the door before in different dreams, different settings, but she knew what would be on the other side.

"I don't want to," she told the darkness, earning herself another push in recrimination.

_Just open it, _she told herself, hand raising, palm flat. _Open it and it'll all be over._

Her breath held as she braced herself, she placed her hand flat against the surprisingly smooth wood and _pushed, _eyes snapping closed.

No blinding flash of light or wall of flames greeted her. She wasn't burning.

_She wasn't burning._

Her breath released in a shaky exhale, her eyes reluctantly opening to take in the empty barn in front of her.

There was hay and farming equipment everywhere, lying amongst dirt and ratty old wood. She could smell the hay now – no where near fresh – and that wild scent still lingered in the air.

Cautiously she lifted her foot to step forward into the scene only to fall back as the doorway disappeared, her body continuing the fall as the darkness disappeared, leaving her sitting on her butt with stinging hands in the empty hallway.

Her heart raced in her chest, mouth dried as she moved to push herself upright only to freeze as a familiar rumble filled the hall.

"No," she breathed, eyes wide as she turned towards the noise just in time to see the first explosion as the hallway imploded around her and the fire raced forward, engulfing her in its scorching grip and she was screaming, screaming….

"Morgan!" The nurse was there, shaking her, face creased with worry as the poor girl bolted upright in bed, sweat beading on her forehead as she sucked oxygen into her lungs and stared desperately into the woman's eyes, her own filled with tears.

"It's only a dream," she repeated shakily, but when she closed her eyes she saw the fire again, and _knew_ it wasn't.

Maybe it never was.

**A/N: **I actually used the first part of this as a poem for a creative writing class. The teacher told me it was too generalized and needed more detail (who, what, when, where, and most importantly _why)_. I think it fits nicely. It's a little raw but that's kind of what I was aiming for. Anybody got any suggestions/comments they'd like to make about it?


	2. Chapter 2

"Your dad isn't seeing anything," Chase informed Reid as he settled himself in the empty seat next to him.

"Big surprise," Reid muttered, slouching lower. Matthew Garwin was a two-sided war raging at all times – he had the Power on one side and the bottle on the other.

"Victor wants to talk to you after school today."

"I'm busy," Reid replied, pen tapping against the notepad in front of him and he struggled very hard not to think about why Victor wanted to talk to him.

"You need to talk to somebody," Chase pointed out, jaw tightening as he struggled with his own urge to throttle the stubborn blonde.

"I talk to Tyler," Reid bit back, more or less the truth.

"Tyler yanks whatever's bothering you from your head and the two of you bitch it out until you feel better," Chase corrected and Reid almost smiled at the scolding tone of the words.

"It's still talking," he defended his and Tyler's actions with all due loyalty.

"Yeah, well, you haven't been 'talking' to him lately," Chase replied. "And you have to talk to somebody, Reid, or you know what will happen."

"I'm fine," Reid reiterated the point for the thousandth time since the night before.

"I didn't ask if you were okay," Chase shot back. "I'm just reminding you of the consequences of your actions, Reid."

"I'll be fine, just back off, Chase." Reid scowled because Chase was genuinely starting to irritate him, mostly because he knew the older boy was right.

"Morning, sunshine," Pogue greeted with his usual gruffness as he slouched into the seat next to Chase.

"Fuck you," Reid replied good-naturedly, more relieved to see the most taciturn member of the Covenant than he'd ever actually admit.

"Who says I was talking to you?" Pogue replied, a grin edging at the corners of his mouth. "Maybe I was actually talking to the lovely Miss Taylor down there."

Miss Taylor turned at the sound of her name, one dark eyebrow cocking upright as she glance up at Pogue.

"Hey Bree," he greeted with a smile.

"Pogue," she returned the greeting, eyes skipping over the other two sons before returning to him. "Can I help you with something?"

"Just saying good morning," Pogue smiled guilelessly.

"Right," Bree eyed him with amused suspicion for a moment longer before shaking her head and turning back to the front of the room.

Reid snorted at the exchange.

"You're losing it, man," he informed Pogue contemptuously. "Used to be a time when all you had to do was say their name and they'd be putty in your hands."

"I've got a girlfriend now," Pogue replied virtuously. "My ways have changed. I've matured."

Chase snorted at that one and Pogue twisted to glare at the eldest son as Reid grinned in genuine humor for the first time in weeks.

"Good one."

"There's a party at the Dells tonight," Seth Anderson informed the Sons as they dressed after swim practice. "You coming?"

"I'll be there," Reid promised, lifting his head slightly as Caleb frowned at him over the top of Tyler's down-turned head.

"It's the annual back-to-school bash," Tyler broke in, straightening his head as he settled his tie around his neck, adjusting the lengths as he shot Caleb an indecipherable look. "We never miss this party."

"Cool, see you there. Later, man," Seth slapped hands with Tyler as he passed, heading for the door.

"You worry too much," Tyler stated softly, focusing on his tie as Reid's gaze narrowed slightly with the words.

"Somebody has to," Caleb replied, not sounding the least bit thrilled with his own position.

"Stop," Reid snapped, grabbing his own tie and shoving the rest of his stuff in his locker as he glared. "I have one mother already – I don't need another."

"Reid," Pogue protested as the blonde stormed after Seth, pushing past a fully dressed Chase who just barely managed to get out of the way in time.

"He's getting worse," Caleb spoke as Chase approached. "He was bad before but this…"

"He needs to talk to Victor," Pogue frowned.

"Grandad offered," Tyler finished his tie and carefully set his stuff back inside the locker before closing the door and spinning the lock, reaching out to spin Reid's as well. "Reid refused."

"And he'll keep refusing until he's out of his goddamn mind," Caleb scowled, anger in his words but full on worry in his eyes. Caleb and Reid seldom saw eye to eye on anything, but they were family, closer than blood.

Brothers.

"We'll ambush him if we have to," Chase stated.

"And you'll lose," Tyler snapped back. "Reid's stubborn and private – he's not going to let Grandad in his head, not if he can help it."

"He won't listen to reason – " Caleb started.

"And pushing him isn't going to help. It has to be voluntary, Caleb," Tyler reiterated his position, his powers as he faced off with the older boy. "If Reid fights Grandad could end up ripping his mind to shreds, anyway."

"You can't do it," Chase stated, watching the youngest son for a long moment before speaking. He knew Tyler and Reid were closer than the rest of them and that Tyler was the only person Reid ever let inside his head without due cause but Tyler couldn't do what needed to be done – Reid's mind was too strong and Tyler's powers were still developing.

"I know," Tyler replied and there was such a wealth of pain in those two words that none of the other Sons tried to stop him as he walked away.

* * *

><p>Reid wasn't really angry. He was hotheaded and pigheaded and all other sorts of complete dumbass at times, but he wasn't angry.<p>

"You look like shit." Reid came to an abrupt stop at the words, lifting his head to stare.

"And you don't," he replied with interest, cocking his head to the side as he stared at the welcome distraction that was Bree Taylor.

She was dressed in jeans and some lacey gray camisole with a beige cardigan that really made her hazel eyes pop. Her brown hair was softly curled around her face and her toes were freshly painted peach in a pair of low-slung heels.

"You're out of uniform awfully early," Reid spoke, grateful for the welcome distraction her appearance had brought him.

"Places to go, people to see," she replied lightly, smiling softly as her eyes took on a far away gleam for a moment before refocusing on him. "Rough day?"

"Same shit, different day," Reid replied, gaze drifting up to her face.

"Really?" The eyebrow arched again in cool disbelief and Reid found himself scowling slightly.

"Really," he repeated to emphasis his point, feeling annoyed now. "Why do you care, anyways?"

"I'm having a good day," Bree replied with a flash of a smile. "I feel the need to spread the joy and don't even try to perv that up."

"But it's such a great opening," Reid grinned as Bree rolled her eyes at his badly worded pun before stepping past him, pausing to place a hand on his shoulder as she stared him dead in the eye with a twinkle of amusement in her expression.

"Cheer up, Garwin," she stated, too chipper for his liking. "There's always the next girl."

"Promise?" He asked, but she was already moving away from him towards the parking lot.

"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride," Reid reminded himself, shaking himself away from Bree's ass as he turned to head back towards the main campus. "Man, I need to get laid tonight."

Maybe the sex would help him sleep.

_It didn't work before, _his subconscious reminded him.

_Shut up, _he shot back, a brief vision of Bree's smile conjuring itself up in his brain. _It's supposed to be a good day._

* * *

><p>Tyler retreated to the one place none of the other Sons bothered to go.<p>

His head still hurt, a vague ache from the night before, and the constant bombardment of Caleb and the other Sons acute worry coupled with Reid's full on stress was kicking the proverbial shit out of him.

When he passed Kira Snider in the hall and felt a near overwhelming wave of pity at the large amount of self-loathing emanating from the bitchy red-head, he decided enough was enough.

Contrary to what he knew the others perceived, he didn't actually mind being empathetic most of the time. It was nice not having to guess at what other people were feeling. But there were days where he wished he could just turn it off for a while – to not be Tyler the 'sensitive guy' or Tyler 'the understanding one' and just be Tyler – a moody teenager.

Ipswich Cemetery was older than the town itself – it used to be a burial ground for a trapping settlement before it became a town. It was rustic now, an antique location that was rarely ever used anymore which made it quiet, out of the way, and blissfully free of complicated emotions.

Flickers brushed over his senses as he walked through, hands in the pocket of his coat. They were faint echoes of the dead, emotional imprints that simply were.

The back of the Cemetery held the Covenant's Mausoleums, one for each family. Tyler's hands strayed from his pocket as he passed the Simms family crypt, his fingers brushing over the names, mind mentally conjuring up pictures of the ones who came before. Some had died of natural causes, a lot had died from Using. There were men and a few women – sisters, wives, and daughters buried alongside the men who more often than not destroyed them. His hand hovered over the last daughter's name, Annabelle, breathing out a quiet sigh as he stared at the dates.

_Annabelle Simms O'Connell_

_b. 1883_

_d. 1901_

She'd died of heartache, his grandfather had said of his late aunt. Her husband had taken ill and she'd begged her father to help him. Her brother had been too young, not fully ascended, and she'd been desperate. And her father had refused, her husband had died, and she had followed shortly thereafter. There was speculation amongst the families that she'd killed herself, but nobody had ever really thought to examine the matter closely.

"Hey, Annabelle," Tyler murmured into the stillness of the afternoon. "It's nice to see you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

* * *

><p>The sun was making its way down towards the horizon by the time Tyler had finished talking to Annabelle. He left with a promise to see her again soon, thanking her for listening before turning to walk back towards his Hummer. The party at the Dells didn't start for another couple of hours but Reid would want to hang out before hand – shoot the breeze, play some video games, and do whatever other shit normal guys did.<p>

He was halfway to his truck when he felt the first faint tugging at his mind. He paused, hands in pockets, as he studied the threads reaching out towards him. They were tinged blue – sad – with hints of orange and red – hope and anger.

They weren't from the dead – the dead had colors to their emotion, but nothing this vibrant, this _alive._

He was curious to their source, his gaze wandering the cemetery until he discovered the only other lone occupant of the area.

Long coat, a red scarf and a black hat. Small, most likely female. Tyler was prepared to walk on, deciding it was probably an old spouse coming to pay respects to a deceased loved one, when a breeze stirred.

Her hair was long and dark – dark enough that it had blended in with the coat, making it impossible for Tyler to see it until it moved.

She turned towards the breeze, her hair dancing lightly in the wind. He couldn't make out distinctive features of her face from this distance, but her profile was delicate, soft, and distinctly youthful.

It was such an oddity to find another young person in a place like this that Tyler found his feet carrying him in her direction out of sheer curiosity.

She caught sight of him as he approached and rather than turning and walking away, she turned towards him and waited patiently for his arrival.

"Hello," he greeted her carefully, his previous curiosity turning into rabid fascination as he eagerly drank in the lines of her face.

Smooth and unblemished, she reminded him of a little tiny fairie – tiny and perfect with almost surreal soft features.

"Hello," she returned the greeting, blue eyes lighting with humor at his apparent interest.

"Come here often?" The line was lame – if Reid was here he'd be hitting him right now – but Tyler was actually curious. He visited the Mausoleum's often enough that if she made her own regular visits, he was fairly certain he would have run into her before.

"No," she replied, her lips smiling lightly now as she pushed a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. "This is my first time."

"Oh." Tyler blinked once before peering around her at the gravestone behind her.

_Darren Winterborne._

_b. April 11__th__, 1988_

_d. December 30__th__, 2005_

"Friend of yours?" He asked, immediately wincing at the somewhat callous manner of his words.

"No," she replied, expression saddening once more as she turned to face Darren's grave once more. "I never met him."

"Oh."

The question of why lingered in his mind, but she'd become so sad that he felt immeasurable guilt over his words.

"I'm Tyler," he offered in an effort to distract her from whatever it was that put the sorrow back in her emotions.

"Morgan," she returned his greeting solemnly, extending her hand.

Tyler reached out to touch her skin before he could think not to.

His gift was largely inherent – he didn't need skin on skin contact for it to work – but sometimes when he touched people, their emotions were magnified. He could block, raise the walls of his mind against the intrusion of emotions, something he did often enough, but he wasn't thinking.

Her emotions punched through him in a vibrant ray of colors – blue, orange, yellow, red, green, violet – everything in one hard blow that had him staggering back.

"Are you okay?" She asked, blinking up at him, genuine concern coloring the spectra.

"Fine, just late," he shook his head, feeling disorientation and desperation as he turned. "It was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"Maybe," he heard her say, and then he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Morgan!" Bree was waiting at the car on the opposite side of the cemetery from where the mysterious Tyler had disappeared.<p>

"I'm starving," Morgan smiled at her sister as she approached, expertly ignoring the wealth of concern that had been behind that one word. She wasn't alright, not even, and someday she'd tell Bree what was bothering her, but not now. Right now she needed to process things.

"Nicky's?" Bree asked, naming the most popular hang out in town. Morgan made a face as she slid in the passenger seat.

"How about someplace quieter?" Morgan didn't think she was up to handling the noise that Nicky's invariably produced.

"Sure thing, babe. Whatever you want." Morgan smiled at Bree's light tone, but it was bittersweet cause the thing she wanted most now was forever out of her reach – you couldn't change the past any more than you could bring the dead back to life.

**A/N: **I think I was partially inspired to write this after watching 'Uninvited' with Emily Browning, though I'm not sure why. Just everytime I think of this fic, I think of that movie. Weird.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're late," Reid climbed into the passenger seat of Tyler's Hummer, lean frame practically trembling with restless energy.

"Places to go, people to meet," Tyler replied vaguely enough that Reid found himself frowning as he studied the younger boy, wondering what that meant.

"You okay?"

"Fine, fine," Tyler shook off Reid's concern with a forced smile as he shifted the Hummer to drive. "You ready to party?"

Reid knew Tyler better than he knew himself and he knew that something had rattled Baby Boy today but good. He wasn't going to pry, though – Tyler would share whatever it was with him eventually. He just needed to be patient.

"You know it," he replied with a predatory smile. He'd find something pretty to distract himself with while he waited for Tyler to sort himself out.

* * *

><p>"Where's Kate?" Caleb asked as he walked over the rocks to where Pogue stood at the edge of the cliff, watching the light from the fires below.<p>

"Down there," Pogue replied, kicking some pebbles off the edge of the cliff as he looked over his shoulder at Caleb. "Where's everyone else?"

"Right here," Chase replied, moving through the shadows to come to a stop next to them, a vibrating Reid and bright-eyed Tyler trailing behind.

"How's the party, fellas?" Reid asked, moving to stand next to Pogue, nudging a second grouping of pebbles over the edge.

"Don't know, just got here," was Pogue's reply, excitement heating up as Reid smirked back at the four of them.

"Well hell, boys, let's drop in." A flash of the eyes and he was stepping out over the ledge and falling, falling, _flying._

He waited briefly at the bottom, turning and smiling when, predictably, Tyler was the first to land after him. Chase was next then came Pogue and finally Caleb, who stepped forward in line with the rest of them as Chase led the way into the Dells.

* * *

><p>"Kate!" Bree greeted the bubbly mocha-skinned girl with a wide smile as they hugged. "How are you? Where's Pogue?"<p>

"He's on his way," Kate replied with a wide smile at the thought of her boyfriend. "And I'm good. How about you? I heard Morgan came home today. How is she?"

"She's good," Bree replied, her smile softening, a little worry creeping in at the edges but overshadowed by the relief and pleasure she obviously felt at having her sister home. "About as well as can be expected given the circumstances."

"Kate?" A blue-eyed blonde asked, approaching cautiously with a friendly smile as she took in Bree.

"Sarah! This is Bree, Bree, this is Sarah. Sarah's my new roommate."

"Got another good one, this year?" Bree questioned, smiling at Sarah.

"Freshman and senior years," Kate agreed, slinging an arm through Sarah's with a light laugh.

"We were freshmen roommates," Kate explained to Sarah. "She's the only other roommate I've had that I liked."

"You went through how many others, again?" Bree asked. "Sixteen sophomore year alone?"

"Well if you hadn't moved into a single, that wouldn't have happened," Kate teased back.

"Girl needs her space," Bree laughed with a shrug of her shoulders before giving Kate another quick hug. "See you around?"

"Later," Kate agreed, waving her off before turning back to Sarah.

"She's nice, I like her." Kate laughed at Sarah's statement.

"She's one of the good ones," she agreed before turning her attention back to the rest of the crowd. "So, now that you've met the good, it's time to get to know the bad. See the red-head up there? That's Kira Snider – total bitch. And that's her boyfriend Aaron Abbott, total dick."

"Match made in heaven?" Sarah questioned.

"Hell," Kate corrected. "Aaron cheats on Kira like, all the time, and Kira cheats in revenge and the two of them have these massive drag-down fights where everybody and their mother get dragged in. Avoid both of them at all costs – they'll only piss you off."

"Good to know. Anybody else I should be on the lookout for?"

"Brody Daniels – Aaron's main lackey. Total tool."

"Got it." Sarah looked around, trying to spot anybody of interest for her to question Kate about next and coming to an abrupt halt when Kate tugged on her arm.

"They're here," she stated, smiling as she stared in the direction behind Sarah.

"Who?" Sarah asked, turning towards her line of sight.

"The Sons of Ipswich," Kate breathed, the words sounding eerily like hero worship to Sarah's ears.

_Hero-worship well deserved, _she thought to herself as she took in the five approaching boys – three blondes, one brunette, and a head of raven black hair.

"Pogue!" Kate greeted one of the blondes, throwing herself into his open arms with a heartfelt kiss.

"You're late," she breathed as they disengaged, her eyes shining.

"Sorry, things got away from me," he apologized, smiling down at her before letting his gaze travel to Sarah. "Who's this?"

"This is Sarah, my new roommate – Sarah, this is the guys, Chase, Tyler – "

"Reid Garwin at your service," the blondest of the group slid between Chase and Tyler, hand extended, eyes interested. "You know, Sarah's my grandmother's name."

Sarah's eyebrows arched at the blatant come on, her smile a little embarrassed until the one Kate had introduced as Tyler snorted, causing Reid to pause in his spiel to shoot the brunette a dirty look. Tyler managed to cover his mouth and fake a coughing fit but not before Sarah caught sight of his grin.

"And I'm Caleb," the last guy introduced himself, edging his way forward with an easy smile. "And you don't bring my grandmother to mind at all."

"Not that difficult to do, man," Chase broke in, clapping Caleb on the shoulder.

"Why's that?" Sarah asked, glancing from one boy to the other, curious.

"Caleb's grandmother's something else," was Tyler's tactful answer when the rest of the Sons found other places to look. Reid snorted as he stared at something to the left of her.

"That's one way to put it."

"Reid," Caleb warned. Reid rolled his eyes back to Caleb, staring at the older boy for a moment before smirking.

"Whatever, man. Come on, Ty – let's see who else we can find to chat up. Ladies," Reid nodded politely to the two of them before disengaging from the group, Tyler in tow as he disappeared into the crowd.

"That was…"

"That's Reid," Chase stated, smiling warmly at Sarah as he held out his own hand. "Chase Putnam, pleasure to meet you, milady."

"Pleasures all mine," Sarah dimpled at Chase. "Is he always so…"

"Horny?" Caleb broke in, drawing her attention back to him, her heart thumping erratically at his apologetic smile. "Afraid so. Sorry about that."

"No, no, it's okay," she found herself reassuring him hastily. "It's refreshing to have a guy just move on. Some guys don't take the hint."

"Reid's not one of them," Chase stated. "He's always got another fish on the line."

"Hey," Caleb protested, slapping Chase lightly on the shoulder, earning him a smirk in response. "There are ladies present."

"Indeed there are," Chase stated, turning his gaze back to Sarah with a smile.

_Ladies indeed._

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes after they'd arrived Reid had yet to approach a girl.<p>

"On the prowl?" Bree's voice came from behind him and he turned to find her standing with a beer in hand, one eyebrow cocked, dressed in a jean mini and a pink almost see-through top that was so girly-girl Reid felt feminine just looking at it.

"Maybe," Reid leered at her suggestively and was refreshingly rewarded with her laughter.

"Not a chance, Casanova. If I had to pick a Son to tangle with it'd totally be Tyler."

"Why?" Reid asked, taking a sip from his own cup as he kept half his attention on her, the other half moving through the crowds.

"Because he's one of the quiet ones and you know what they say about quiet ones." Bree wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Reid's smile widened as Baby Boy arrived directly behind her just in time to hear her words.

"What do they say about the quiet ones?" He asked, eyes laughing as Tyler raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"They're the screamers in bed," Bree's honest answer almost had Reid choking. He'd expected her to get embarrassed and start stuttering but she'd flat out laid him out with her bluntness.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tyler broke in, curious at the amusement he could feel rolling off of Reid and intrigued by the low-level hum of arousal from Bree.

Reid liked Bree – all the Sons did – but for Reid liking a girl as a person rather than a pretty face and a nice pair of insert-favorite-body-part-here meant he didn't touch her. Even if he was tempted. Reid didn't respect a lot of people but the people he did respect hell would freeze over before he hurt them.

"Nothing, Baby Boy," Reid grinned and Tyler's eyebrows rose again as Bree whirled around, expression surprised as she gaped at him, embarrassment rolling through her spectra in waves.

"Oh my God Tyler! You do not sneak up on people like that," she started, breathing out shallowly, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How long were you standing there, anyways?"

"Apparently not long enough. Who's the screamer?" Tyler fought a smile as the embarrassment resurfaced.

"Nobody," Bree's eyes drifted away from him, her expression making it abundantly obvious she was planning her escape route.

"Oh look, I see Amy. I should go – " She interrupted herself with a frown, hand dipping into the front pocket of her skirt and pulling out her cell phone. She flipped the screen open, pressed a few buttons, and frowned at what she read there.

"Something wrong?" Reid asked, taking another swig of his beer, eyes idly going back to the crowds.

"Don't know, maybe," she replied, tapping a number into her phone and pressing send.

* * *

><p>"You have to leave now," Morgan stated as soon as she picked up the phone.<p>

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Bree's concern was touching, but Morgan wasn't the one in trouble here – or about to be in trouble, anyways. Maybe.

It was confusing enough trying to keep track of the pictures she saw – trying to put them in words and form some sort of logic was like trying to catch fish with a spider web – illogical and headache inducing.

"Cops, Bree," Morgan stated. "I saw them. They're on their way to the Dells. You need to leave now."

"What are you doing out of my room?" Bree asked. "I thought you wanted to sleep."

"I needed some air," Morgan replied, rolling with the easy out Bree had given her. "But that doesn't matter – if you don't leave now you're going to get arrested."

"Alright, alright. I'm on my way. Just let me – "

"_Now Bree._"

* * *

><p>"Problems?" Tyler asked the question in response to the concerned vibe Bree was now giving off.<p>

"My sister," Bree replied, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "She says she saw the cops on their way to the Dells. We need to bail, like now."

"Getting an early start this year," Reid commented, already moving, Tyler and Bree falling in step with him. "Usually they wait until the second or third party to start busting things up."

"Come on," Tyler stated, diverting Reid's path. "The guys are over here."

Reid let the younger boy take the lead as they pushed their way through the throngs, Tyler directing with unerring accuracy until they reached the fire the others had taken up residency at.

"Hey Bree," Pogue was the first to notice their arrival, his gaze curious as he took in the pretty brunette practically sandwiched between Tyler and Reid.

"Hey," she returned the greeting, looking unusually pale and troubled.

"Problems?" Chase asked, taking in Bree's appearance before focusing his attention on Reid.

"Cops," Reid replied. "On their way to the Dell's. Bree's sister just called to warn her."

"Shit, already?" Pogue was already moving, holding Kate's hand as the group hustled their way back towards their cars.

"You got a ride?" Caleb was asking Sarah even as they heard the music in the clearing stop behind them.

"Yeah, my car," Sarah replied, turning to look over at Bree. "Do you?"

Bree shook her head. "I left my car at Spencer's, hitched a ride with some other kids here."

"I'll give you a lift, then," Sarah stated.

"Thanks."

"Sirens," Tyler stated, the sound reaching the others ears seconds later.

"Shit," Chase swore again, hustling faster as they heard people running through the woods in their direction, fellow students heading for their getaway vehicles.

"Be careful," Pogue stated, giving Kate a soft kiss on the lips as the two groups separated.

"You, too, baby," Kate replied, smiling warmly up at him before sliding into the passenger seat of Sarah's car.

The engine turned over quickly and Sarah waved as she drove past the Sons, Tyler's Hummer quickly disappearing in a different direction.

"Thank your sister for me, sometime," Kate stated, breathing out a sigh of relief as they hit the main road back into town.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "We totally owe her for this."

"I'll tell her," Bree stated, her tone even enough but her expression unhappy. Chalking it up to their close call, Sarah let the look slide as Kate started talking about boys and how Chase and Caleb were far better options than Reid.

* * *

><p>Tyler dropped Pogue off at his bike and Caleb and Chase off at Caleb's Mustang before sliding over to the passenger side of the car at Reid's urgings.<p>

"Come on," Reid shifted into drive and pulled out, wheels almost squealing. "Nicky's is still open – let's have some fun."

Normally it was a fucking stupid idea to let Reid off a leash when he was in this type of mood, but given the last couple of days the inevitability of what was more than likely going to occur tonight…

"Whatever you want, man," Tyler stated, leaning back and focusing his attention on something he could control – his expression of pain as Reid jerked at the wheel of his baby.

_It's for a good cause, _he repeated the mantra just as Reid took another corner too fast.

_It's for a good cause, goddamnit, but that doesn't mean I have to like it._

* * *

><p>Morgan was chewing on her finger nails when Bree entered her room.<p>

"I'm fine," Bree stated, twirling in a circle so Morgan could get the full effect. "Not a scratch, see?"

Morgan's smile was a timid, fragile thing and Bree almost cried at the tears threatening to fall from Morgan's eyes.

"I know," Morgan stated, her voice small but struggling to be strong.

"Aw, baby," Bree was there in an instant and Morgan was all but throwing herself into her sister's open arms, burrowing into the warmth of her family as she struggled not to shake.

She'd had the dream again – the fire in the barn – but this time there'd been more. There'd been screams, agonizing and bone-chillingly real voices.

And one of those voices had been Bree.

Another had been her own.

**A/N: **This is all I have written to date. I have the next chapter started but my time to write is severely limited as of late and sometimes it takes all that time just to remember what I was going to write. I'll try to have something for you guys soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Morgan stood on the outside of the barn, in the open air on a breezy night in her pajamas and barefooted, her heart beating erratically in her chest.

"No." Her whisper was lost in the wind.

"_No._" She tried to step back, managing one before her feet were digging in the dirt preventing her from going any further.

"Please don't do this," her voice cracked, her knees bending as she resorted to childish tricks, trying to fall down to the ground to prevent moving forward, but invisible hands yanked and pushed, forcing her forward.

The wood splintered into her skin, the rough edges abrading as she tried to grip the door, to stop herself again, but it was like hands laid on top of hers, peeling her fingers back one by one until with one last desperate lunge, she lost her grip and was in the barn, the door slamming and disappearing behind her.

"_**No!**_" She ran towards the darkness but the second her feet left the ground she was turning, spinning around til she was facing the one place she hadn't wanted to look – the middle of the barn.

She choked on a sob, her eyes closing as she curled downwards into a ball. Tears streaked down her face and she opened her eyes again, unable to fully believe the sight in front of her.

Bodies, intertwined, entangled limbs she was unable to differentiate from each other except for their faces – god, their faces.

There was nothing left but blood and bone, dripping from their mouths, their eyes, and flowing like rivers from underneath their bubbling skin. It popped and hissed like cooking meat until, with a roar, the pile burst into flames and Morgan was screaming as the heat engulfed her.

* * *

><p>Reid's eyes snapped open, awareness returning in an instant as he crushed the scream that had been growing in his throat, panting with the effort. His gaze instinctively moved to Baby Boy's bed, but the other boy didn't even stir.<p>

His skin still felt like it was on fire. He'd pushed his sheets off while he was sleeping but the room still felt like it was a hundred degrees, roasting him from the inside out.

He snorted at the thought. Dying from the inside out – now that was nothing new. He'd known from the moment he was old enough to realize there was a difference between how his daddy did things and how other daddy's did things that this would be what killed him.

_Whatever._ He wasn't scared of dying, he was just tired of thinking about it. Rolling upright, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for a zip-up hoodie and some sweat pants, pulling them silently on before heading for the door. He paused for a moment, debating whether or not to leave a note for Tyler, before rolling his eyes. Tyler wasn't his mom, his girlfriend, or his sister – Baby Boy didn't need to know where he was twenty-four/seven.

* * *

><p>Morgan could feel another trickle of sweat slide down her spine as she walked quietly down the empty path. It was probably about high sixties, low seventies outside, not nearly hot enough to cause sweat, but Morgan felt like her bones were on fire.<p>

Writing a quick note for Bree, she'd headed down to the one place she knew of to cool down.

The main entrance to the pool was locked, but Morgan knew there was a side entrance with a faulty latch. She didn't know how she knew and for once she didn't really care. She was just grateful for the way in.

Slipping her sandals off her feet, she pulled her shorts off next, keeping her shirt on as she tipped a toe in the water. Her foot immediately fell cooler and with a sigh of relief, she slid the rest of the way into the water, holding onto the side as she took a deep breath before closing her eyes and sinking under the water.

* * *

><p>Reid had his powers, but the rest of the Sons were so on-fucking-edge lately about him using them that he was insanely grateful for the busted out-of-the-way door in the bushes, even if he did get a few scratches on his fair skin for his trouble.<p>

The pool house was quiet this time of night – silent except for the soothing lull of the water lapping at the sides of the pool. Reid breathed in the heady smell of chlorine.

Exhaling on a sigh, his hands reached for the zipper on his sweater, pulling it down and off as he felt the peace that came with the water seep into his bones, erasing the memory of the heat. His sweats were next, leaving him in nothing but his black briefs. Normally he slept naked, but because of the nightmares and the inevitable interruptions he'd taken to wearing underwear, a fact he was grateful for now as he prepared to execute a smooth dive into the pool. Swimming naked, while enjoyable, was best left for open ponds or the ocean, not his swimming pool.

His muscles tensed, bunching as he took a deep breath in preparation, his eyes following the water, searching for his entry spot when movement caught his eye.

At first he assumed it was a bug that had somehow found its way into the pool – some long, black, wispy thing that looked even more unnatural than he was. Angling his head, however, showed it to be something entirely different – a girl, tiny with lots of long, dark hair, floating lifelessly in the water.

* * *

><p>It was quiet, so wonderfully quiet that Morgan almost let out a sigh, remembering only at the last second to keep her mouth shut. Closing her eyes, she sank into the water, letting it brush against her in soothing waves until she was near boneless, the awful fire only a memory until her lungs started to burn, desperate for oxygen.<p>

She let the remainder of her air seep out in a sigh as she readied herself to swim upwards, only to jerk in surprise as sound crashed against her with almost as much force as the body that followed.

Reid's first clue that his dead body wasn't really dead was the jerk of surprise it gave when he latched on. The second was the uppercut to his chin followed but a kick to his shin, neither of which particularly hurt considering they were in the water but still came as a bit of a surprise.

"What-the-hell?" Came the angry snarl as he surfaced, dragging a sodden mess of long dark hair up next to him, releasing her when she tried to kick him again.

"Stop freakin' kicking me, you crazy bitch!" Reid snapped, swimming backwards to put some more distance between them. "I was trying to save your life!"

"I didn't need saving!" The wet mess of hair was pushed back revealing what Reid believed had to be the most beautiful face in miniature he'd ever seen. He actually blinked in out and out surprise at the blue eyes staring at him from the tiny, doll like creature treading water in front of him.

"You were just floating there," Reid shot back. "You weren't moving at all. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

She said nothing to that, merely settling for a scowl as she gave him an annoyed look.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" He asked, feeling petty and irritated because, damnit, he'd come here to relax not get beat up by Tinkerbell.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She shot back, not giving an inch.

"Swimming," Reid snapped.

"Well so am I," she replied with an upturned nose that just irritated him all the more.

"You call that swimming?" Reid was contemptuous for real here because swimming was one of the 'Sacred Things' to him that shall not be desecrated, even by fairies.

"Floating," she corrected, sounding less pure pissed and more petulant now. "Peacefully," she added churlishly. "Until you got here."

"Well by all means, princess," Reid pushed himself back and away from her towards one of the open swimming lanes. "Float away."

* * *

><p>Morgan gave up trying to find her peace from earlier – the blonde was swimming, seriously swimming, and making a lot of noise while doing it making sinking into blissful oblivion difficult so she settled for settling herself on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water. The cool water felt good against her skin and wanted to soak it up for a while longer.<p>

Time passed either fast or slow but she didn't care. She wouldn't be going back to sleep tonight anyways. Her skin still stung from the dream despite the water and she was more exhausted of the dreams than anything else.

She should tell Bree about the dreams. She'd been considering it for a while now, but still couldn't figure out how to broach the subject. Back at St. Jude's it'd been easier to hide things – as much as Bree stopped by, she still couldn't be with Morgan twenty-four/seven so it'd made it easier to pretend to be okay for a while, but now that they were in the same place…

Morgan let a tired sigh slip out of her mouth as she laid back against the cool tile, feeling her skin pebble with the faint brush of air and not caring. It was refreshing to feel something that didn't hurt for once.

"Nice," the blonde's voice broke through her silent contemplations, prompting her to open one eye to stare up at him while he stared down at her, or rather parts of her.

"I'm sixteen, pervert," she informed him archly.

"What do I look like, an old man?" Morgan snorted as the blonde plopped his dripping ass down next to her.

"What do you want?" She asked, closing her eyes once more.

"I'm curious," he replied.

"About?" Morgan prompted, opening her eyes when he didn't immediately respond. She expected him to still be staring at her or about to make some perverted comment, but he surprised her.

"Why here?" He asked, his gaze on the rippling water, watching it settle from his exit before he kicked the water a bit, stirring it all up again.

"Hmmm?" Morgan pushed herself upright, blinking at him in confusion.

"Why'd you come here? What were you doing, anyways?"

Morgan was quiet for a long moment as she studied him. He surprised her, first off because he'd tried to rescue her when she didn't need rescuing and while she was annoyed at his interruption, he'd been trying to do a good deed so she couldn't really fault him for it. He'd stared at her breasts after she'd come out of the water and while that wasn't really a gentlemanly thing to do, he was still a teenage boy so it wasn't unexpected. He'd made the prerequisite perverted comment but it'd lacked any serious leer. And now he was asking her dangerously close to interested questions. She decided to humor him.

"I had a bad dream," she replied, turning her own gaze to the water. "It was loud and horrible and I wanted to go someplace quiet to forget."

"Did it work?" There was a spark of genuine interest there. Morgan smiled bitterly in response.

"For a while." They lapsed into a comfortable silence until she broke it with her own question.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, watching his face again.

"Had a bad dream," he echoed her words with a harsh tilt to his lips – a humorless smile that dared her to ask about it.

"You're a swimmer," she noted instead, turning her attention back to the water, giving her own little kick to get the ripples going once more.

"Gee, what gave it away?" Morgan rolled her eyes at his sarcasm.

"Reid," she stated instead. "You're Reid Garwin."

He blinked in genuine surprise, head twisting to stare at her so fast she was almost afraid he'd hurt himself.

"How the hell do you know my name?" Morgan grinned at his dumbstruck tone, fighting laughter as she nodded her head towards the wall behind them.

"You're picture's on the wall," she stated, unable to resist. "Dumbass."

"Crazy bitch," he replied, not the least bit embarrassed as he smiled again, this time with genuine humor.

"You go to Spenser's?" He asked next, kicking idly, his ripples intersecting hers and sending light refracting everywhere.

"Yes," she replied, smiling at the frustrated noise he made in the back of his throat.

"How long?" he asked next, pushing. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Spenser's is a big place," she replied evasively. He stared at the side of her face for a long time, silently pressuring until she caved slightly. "Not long."

His gaze narrowed but he turned his attention back to the water.

"Do you know how to swim?" He asked suddenly, surprising her.

"What?" She turned to find him staring at her with a serious expression.

"You fucking suck at floating. I'm curious if you can even swim."

"I can swim," Morgan promised, feeling somewhat insulted.

"Prove it," he challenged, sliding soundlessly back into the water and swimming out to the middle of the pool before turning back around to face her, treading water as he waited expectantly.

"You're not challenging me to a match, are you?" Morgan asked, feeling generous enough to humor him and slide in after him. He was a nice distraction and she needed a distraction. "Cause I'm not that good."

"Honey you couldn't beat me even if you wanted to," he replied with smooth arrogance that had her hackles rising.

"Oh bring it on, bitch," she muttered, gliding past him with smooth strokes.

"What did you call me?" He demanded, splashing her head as she swam past, grinning as she spluttered at him.

"Oh, it's on. You are so going down." He grinned as he kicked past her.

"Bring it on, Tinkerbell."

* * *

><p>Morgan had plenty of experience in the water. After her accident she'd spent several long months in and out of the pool relearning how her body worked and she'd come to enjoy those freeing moments inside the water where everything worked like it was supposed to.<p>

She'd moved past the pure horridness of physical therapy, but she still liked to swim. She'd even been entertaining the idea of joining the Spenser's swim team but she reconsidered after Reid trounced her ten laps straight.

"Not bad, Tinkerbell," he surprised her with the compliment as he pulled himself out the pool, his underwear slipping slightly with the grip of the water, flashing smooth pale skin. Morgan hastily averted her gaze, glancing up after a moment to find Reid already reaching for his sweats, idly pulling his underwear up without really noticing.

"You coming?" He asked, grabbing his sweater and turning to look at her, one eyebrow arched in challenge. She waited for him to turn around but he continued to stare, completely unrepented in his perversions. She scowled but that only served to make him grin wider.

She felt a sudden flash of irritation and reacted to it without thought, pulling herself out of the pillow keeping her eyes on his the entire time as her shirt clung to her skin, practically transparent.

Reid didn't say anything as she stood, his eyes holding hers for a long moment, a strange smile decorating the corners of his mouth at her defiant expression before he slowly let his gaze drop. Morgan hastily crossed her arms over her chest, flushing in embarrassment at Reid's amused snort.

"You look cold," he stated, eyes dancing with humor as they met hers once more.

"I'm fine," she informed him tartly, turning away from him as she bent down to pick up her shorts. He made a strange noise from behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to find him staring up at the ceiling, his lips moving and he muttered something silently to himself.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, pulling her shorts on quickly before recrossing her arms over her chest, shivering as the cold air really started to sink into her skin.

Reid swore as his gaze dropped back to her, some foreign emotion surfacing in his eyes as he focused on her.

"You don't have a sweater?" he asked somewhat disbelievingly.

"I wasn't cold," she replied defensively, scowling as she shivered harder. "And I thought there'd be towels."

Reid muttered something under his breath before hastily unzipping his sweater and holding it out to her.

"Here," he stated. Morgan stared blankly at the sweater. "Take it."

"Aren't you cold?" Morgan asked, raising her gaze from the sweater to Reid.

"I'm fine. Take it." Morgan shook her head even as another shiver spread through her body.

"Jesus," Reid shook his head and moved, reaching her in a single stride and practically grabbing her as he tried to stuff her arm in the sweater sleeve.

"Hey!" She protested, shrugging out of his grip and turning around to face him, arms dropping as she clenched her fists by her side and glared up at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Reid sighed, holding the sweater out again.

"Take it and put it on or I put it on for you," was his threat. Morgan scowled but obediently grabbed the sweater, feeling even colder as her shirt slipped off her shoulder. Pulling the sweater on, she wrapped it around her, feeling warmer already.

"Thank you," she reluctantly stated, glancing up only to find Reid staring at her, or rather her shoulder. She followed his gaze, flushing for a different reason as she remembered the scar, hastily pulling her shirt up and layering the sweater over top it and reinforcement.

"It was nice meeting you Reid," she thanked him stiffly as she slipped her feet in her flip flops and headed for the door, leaving him standing there staring after her, completely missing the thoughtful expression on his face.

* * *

><p>Reid was cold so he didn't waste time waiting after Tinkerbell disappeared, heading straight back to the dorm.<p>

"Have a nice swim?" Tyler asked sleepily from his bed, blinking his baby blues at Reid as he yawned.

"Always do," Reid replied, reaching for some clean underwear and his uniform, grabbing a towel and his toiletries bag. "Gonna take a shower. See you at breakfast."

"Later man," Tyler agreed, closing his eyes and feigning sleep as Reid slipped right back out the door.

Once Reid was gone, Tyler opened his eyes on a sigh, shoving his covers back and levying his jean clad legs over the side of the bed as he rubbed his face.

He'd freaked when he'd woken up and discovered Reid was missing, cursing himself nine ways to Sunday when he realized Reid had been gone long enough for the bed to be cold.

He'd pulled on jeans a sweater and had been five seconds away from phoning the rest of the Sons when Reid's emotions had pinged his radar.

He'd felt…curious. The usual tinge of stress had been missing, replaced by cool blue curiosity and a warm yellow glow of actual happiness. Tyler had been so dumbstruck by the emotional spectrum – the rarity and purity of it making his heart thump erratically – that he almost didn't make it back under the covers when Reid opened the door.

"What the hell happened with you?" Tyler asked the closed door.

_And how can I make sure it happens again?_

**A/N:** I'm temporarily (hopefully) unemployed for a couple of weeks (maybe) so I'm catching up on my writing. And it's really fun. I've missed this so much!


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan had orientation first thing in the morning so she only had time to grab a muffin before disappearing out the door, leaving Bree alone at her usual table.

"Morning," Kate greeted, sliding onto the empty bench next to the drowsy brunette, Sarah sitting next to her. "Where's Morgan?"

"Orientation," Bree replied with a jaw cracking yawn. "She'll be here for lunch, though."

"We have to thank her for the warning last night," Sarah stated, grabbing a fork and stabbing at her eggs. "I hear like a third of the school already has detentions for being caught last night."

"Sucks to be them," Bree murmured unsympathetically, staring unseeingly at the coffee in front of her.

"Drink," Kate instructed, lifting the cup for her and placing it against her mouth.

"I'm not an invalid," Bree protested with a faint smile, taking the cup and a sip and letting out a satisfied sigh as the first of the caffeine warmed her system.

"Do it again," Reid instructed, sliding into the seat across from them. "Please, baby, I'm begging you."

"Shut up, man," Pogue instructed, taking a seat as Sarah obediently scooted over so he could settle next to his girlfriend.

"Morning, Sarah," Chase greeted with a smile as he sat down on one side of Reid.

"Morning," Sarah replied with a warm smile, dimpling again as Caleb sat down next to Chase and smiled at her.

"Where's Tyler?" Kate asked, dumping sugar in her own coffee as she looked expectantly at Reid.

"Sleeping," Reid replied.

"Still?" Bree blinked in surprise at that. "It's eight o'clock. Isn't he usually an early riser?"

"You seem awfully interested in Baby Boy. First the screaming, now the sleeping. Something we should know?" Reid teased, grinning as Bree flushed under everybody's sudden collective interest.

"You're such an ass," Bree muttered, ducking her head but not before Reid caught sight of her smile.

"You know you love me."

"Tyler?" Kate gave Bree a nudge. "Really?"

"Really what?" The object of their discussion asked, setting his tray down next to Reid's as he settled in before glancing up at the table. "Talking about me behind my back?"

"Of course not," Kate stated, quickly covering for her friend with a wide, distracting smile. "Why would we be talking about you?"

Tyler's lips twitched as Pogue snorted and everybody else suddenly found something else to stare at.

"Right. So what were you talking about?"

"Bree's sister," Sarah hastily supplied.

"You have a sister?" Reid blinked in surprise. "When did that happen?"

"Sixteen years ago," Bree replied drolly. "The stork dropped her off."

"Oh, baby," Reid tsked with a lecherous look Bree's way. "Somebody needs to explain the birds and bees to you. Stop by my dorm after class and I'll be happy to give you a hands on demonstration."

"I doubt I'll need even a hand," was Bree's quick reply, eliciting a sharp bark of laughter from Pogue as she the rest of the Sons ducked their heads, wide shit-eating grins decorating their features.

"Am I missing something?" Kate asked, peering around the table with a faintly confused smile, her gaze settling suspiciously on Reid who smiled angelically in reply.

"Cream for your coffee?" He uttered with a charming smile.

"Sure," Kate accepted, the suspicion never leaving her face even as Pogue quickly changed the subject to something much less interesting and much more tame.

* * *

><p>Morgan finished orientation early, eager to get the awkward beginnings out of the way and more than ready to start the newest segment of her life with a somewhat half-hearted smile.<p>

She was tired from the night before and her muffin had barely gotten her through everything she needed to get done so she was more than eager to find her sister when lunch time rolled around.

"Morgan!" Bree greeted from a table on the edge, waving eagerly and drawing the attention of the other occupants of the table. Morgan's eyes skimmed over them quickly and she blinked in surprise when she readily recognized one of them.

"Tyler?" She questioned, peering at the brunette who was staring at her, equally surprised.

"Morgan?"

* * *

><p>Tyler had been playing catch-up all morning. First he woke up late because he'd gotten his first restful night of sleep since the beginning of Reid's whole horrible visions thing and then Reid had up and vanished on him between one class and the next, leaving him scrambling for a reason until his cell had buzzed.<p>

_Be __back __for __lunch. _Had been Reid's concise explanation. _Tired._

That of course had prompted Tyler to make a side trip to the dorm where Reid had grumpily called him a pussy before saying he was fine and promptly going back to sleep leaving Tyler to bullshit away his absence for their next two classes.

He'd made his way to their lunch table feeling frazzled and looking a little worse for the wear.

"What died and ran you over?" Kate had asked the second he sat down.

"Reid," was Tyler's clipped reply. "Ditched me for sleep."

Kate's eyebrows arched in obvious surprise as she stared, completely missing the look that the rest of the Sons shared.

"He coming back to class?" Chase asked, dropping his gaze to the food in front of him.

"He said he'd be here for lunch," Tyler replied as Bree sat down next to Kate.

"Reid?" She questioned. Tyler nodded in reply.

"You're such a good friend," Bree grinned as she shook her bottled tea before opening it. "What would Reid do without you?"

"Die, probably," Kate murmured, blinking in surprise as the Sons simultaneously raised their heads to stare at her.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Morgan!" Bree interrupted their surprised staring as she waved at somebody behind them.

Tyler twisted to glance over his shoulder and almost fell out of his seat in surprise as he found himself staring at a very familiar face.

"Tyler?" Morgan Taylor stared at him in surprise.

"Morgan?" Tyler was feeling more than a little dumbstruck by the fairy child's reappearance. "You go to Spenser's?"

Bree stared at Tyler in confusion, glancing between him and her sister.

"You two know each other?" She asked.

"We've met before," Morgan confirmed, frowning slightly as she walked around the edge of the table to sit down next to Bree.

"Where?" Bree asked, sounding overly concerned and earning her several strange looks from the table as a whole.

"Downtown," Morgan replied carefully, glancing up at Tyler quickly before dropping her gaze to her food.

"We bumped into each other," Tyler confirmed with a frown, not liking the subtle red tinged panic that was emanating from Morgan. It eased slightly at his words but Tyler didn't feel any better about it.

"When were you downtown?" Bree pushed, staring at Morgan with a frown until Morgan lifted her gaze to meet her sisters.

"That trip we took a couple of days ago," she stated. Bree's eyes lit up in sudden comprehension, blinking in surprise as she turned to look at Tyler.

"What were you doing there?" She blurted.

"Doing where?" Chase asked for all of them, gaze traveling between the sisters and Tyler.

"Ipswich Cemetery," Bree supplied. Tyler felt another sudden sharp rise in panic from Morgan, his gaze instinctively fixating on the girl even as everybody turned to stare at him.

"What were you doing in a graveyard?" Chase asked. Tyler could feel his surprise, a vague echo in the back of his skull, but his focus remained on Morgan.

"It's quiet," Tyler answered. "And our Mausoleum's are there."

"Oh." Chase's surprise dissipated almost completely, the rest of the Sons emotions settling down similarly, but Morgan was still panicking.

"What were you guys doing in a graveyard?" Kate asked next and it was not the question that should be asked because Morgan was suddenly on her feet.

"Excuse me for a second," she stated, already scrambling for the door.

"Morgan – " Bree started only to be cut off by Tyler moving wordlessly after her.

"Let 'em go, Bree," Chase was saying. "It's okay."

* * *

><p>Morgan didn't like to think about the accident – how quick it'd been, how cold it'd become. How she'd watched the other boy die right in front of her even as her own heartbeat had given out.<p>

Bree had been knocked completely unconscious but Morgan had stayed awake all three excruciating hours it had taken for somebody to find their cars and she'd seen unbelievable things, things that didn't make any sense whatsoever.

Things that still gave her nightmares.

Bree couldn't understand her need to see Darren's grave – the accident had been placed solely on him. He'd been legally drunk, going fifty miles over the speed limit, and had blown through the stop sign, skidding on the ice and slamming into their car at over a hundred miles per hour.

Bree's guilt had always been about Morgan taking the brunt of the damage but Morgan's guilt was always about Darren.

He'd been conscious, too, after the accident. Lying in the snow a twisted mess with tears on his face as he'd cried and begged for somebody to help him.

Her heartbeat thumped erratically in her chest as she stumbled out the door, heading for open air because suddenly she couldn't breath.

She made it as far as the lockers before she started seeing stars, the world tilting around her until somebody was suddenly there.

"Breath," the voice instructed, helping her to the ground and settling next to her, pulling her ear against his chest as he whispered in her ear. "Just breath."

* * *

><p>"I missed something, didn't I?" Reid asked as soon as he arrived at their usual lunch table.<p>

"It's nothing," Kate stated, lying through her teeth as she rubbed soothing circles across Bree's back.

"Right," Reid stated, glancing over at the Sons who were all sneaking glances at the dining hall entrance. "Where's Tyler?"

* * *

><p>The stars cleared and the world righted itself, leaving Morgan staring at a bank of lockers feeling complete exhausted.<p>

"Thanks," she muttered after a while, not moving her head from Tyler's chest.

"No problem," he replied but there was an edge to his words that had her frowning, pulling away from him to get a better look at his too-pale face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, feeling somewhat alarmed.

"Fine," he stated, sounding anything but. "I just need some air."

He stood abruptly, leaving her cold with the loss of his sudden warmth, muttering a vague excuse me under his breath before striding purposely towards the door.

She got up, ready to go after him, but something held her back.

_Let __him __have __his __space, _a quiet voice warned. As much as she didn't want to listen and go after him, she restrained herself.

"Hey, have you seen Tyler…" Morgan turned towards the voice, blinking in surprise.

"Reid," she greeted the newcomer.

"Tinkerbell," he returned, eyes lighting up slightly. "I didn't think I'd see you again."

"Well, surprise," she replied with a slight smile before frowning abruptly. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my friend," Reid replied, his own smile wilting slightly. "About six foot, blue eyes, dark hair, gravely voice? Also know as Tyler Simms?"

Morgan started slightly.

"You know Tyler?"

"Best friends since diapers," Reid confirmed, staring at her, eyebrows raised. "How do you know Tyler?"

"I don't," she replied hastily, rubbing the back of her neck nervously as she glanced back towards the exit. "Not really."

"He went out that way?" Reid asked, following her line of sight. Morgan nodded and Reid started past her two steps before hesitating and turning around.

"What's your name, anyways?"

"Morgan," she replied without thinking. "My name's Morgan."

"Morgan," he repeated quietly, mostly to himself, smiling quickly. "It's nice to meet you Morgan."

"You, too," Morgan started but Reid was already disappearing out the door.

Shaking her head, Morgan caught sight of the clock on the wall and bit back a curse. First day and she was already going to be late for her first class. And she didn't even get a chance to talk to Bree…

* * *

><p>Tyler could feel Reid coming, a subtle ball of concern that shifted suddenly from worry to that yellow glow of happiness that he'd felt this morning. It effectively distracted him from the shitload of emotional backlash he'd caught from holding Morgan – a dumbass move he still couldn't explain to himself. He knew better than to touch people he didn't know but apparently his brain short-circuited around the fairy-child.<p>

But Reid's happiness washed over him, pushing him back into equilibrium as he turned right back around and headed back for the school, eager to catch Reid and the object of his joy.

"Hey!" Reid stepped back in surprise as Tyler almost ran him over heading back inside. "What's the rush? You okay, baby boy?"

"Fine," Tyler reassured Reid, eyes scanning the empty hall behind Reid, his irritation rising when he realized whatever it had been, it was gone now.

"You sure?" Reid's concern was genuine and touching and Tyler decided to let it go for now. Reid was happy again and Tyler wasn't gonna risk doing anything to mess that up.

"Really," he smiled at Reid as the two of them headed back down the hall. "I'm fine."

**A/N:**I had to stop writing here. I got distracted by Camelot and Robin Hood and Legend of the Seeker and started to go medieval on Tyler and Reid's asses. Ohh…there's an idea. Arthur and Lancelot and Gwen…ooohhhhhh….


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